Gareth A Davies has been a sports journalist for The Daily Telegraph since 1993. He is Boxing and MMA Correspondent. Has been intrigued by fight and combat sports from a young age. Personal sporting passions are rugby, cricket, and martial arts. Also covers the Paralympic Games. Hates getting his hair cut. Follow on Twitter @GarethADaviesDT

Bisping: TUF 9 will ignite mixed martial arts in the UK with US as rivals

Mixed martial artist Michael Bisping, coach of the UK team in TUF 9, has insisted that the latest series of The Ultimate Fighter, the MMA reality television series which has underpinned the sport's growth into mainstream popularity, creating UFC fans worldwide, could ignite a new fanbase and a growth in mma gyms in the UK.

"It definitely has the potential to draw many thousands into the sport not as followers or fans, but as participants," said Bisping. "A UK team against a US team was always going to generate great interest, and the series, I'm sure, will be enjoyed on both sides of the Atlantic.

Bisping knows what he is talking about. There have been 13 winners from the successive TUF series. Every one of them has been American. Except Bisping, a former amateur boxer, tiler, slaughterhouse worker, door to door glazed windows salesman, who eventually found his niche after winning series 3 of TUF, living in a house in Las Vegas 24/7 as last man standing in what has become known as "the toughest reality series on the planet". Bisping earned the right to a six figure dollar contract in the UFC, and has gone on to become an increasingly greater sporting star, on both sides of the Atlantic.

Marshall Zelaznik, president of the UK division of the UFC, told me this morning: "This is a major opportunity for the UFC to grow in the UK, with TUF now being shown on both Setanta and Virgin 1. The whole concept of TUF, when it was originated, was about getting people to watch the UFC and MMA who might not watch it on sports channels. It was an entertainment show for that audience, but it has continued to generate new fans. We're delighted that Virgin is about catering to that audience and it is a great opportunity to get people watching who might not be sports fans or fight fans."

"It was the perfect time to do this. We have 16 British fighters who are some of the very best mixed martial artists to emerge in this country from the shadow of Michael Bisping. This series will make Bisping an even bigger sports star in the UK."

"This season promises excitement with not just a pair of six-figure UFC contracts on the line but also national pride," said Zelaznik, who is American. "None of these fighters wants to let his country down and – with so much on the line – the fights themselves are the most spectacular in TUF history. I can think of no better mixed martial artist than Bisping to lead the British into battle. Not only is Mike the most successful fighter to emerge from the UK, but as a former TUF champion from season 3, Mike knows exactly what it takes to win this thing." The series starts on Virgin 1 on April 5 at 11pm. It will be a barometer of how MMA has come in the UK.